University of Hawaii Applied Research Laboratory notified of first task order

HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi‘s Applied Research Laboratory (ARL) has been notified that its first task order, an $850,000 award sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the Waiʻanae Ordnance Reef Remedial Investigation Project, has been approved by the Navy (NAVSEA).

A preliminary Department of Defense (DoD) study was conducted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the University of Hawaiʻi for two weeks in June 2006 of discarded World War II munitions off the Waiʻanae Coast of Oʻahu, in an area known locally as Ordnance Reef. Results from this study showed that the munitions pose no immediate danger to the public or the environment.

In response to community concerns that the 2006 Ordnance Reef Study did not consider changes in water quality and biotic and sediment composition that may vary seasonally, University of Hawaiʻi researchers will conduct another investigation. The study will be over a one-year, full seasonal cycle period to identify any data gaps that may possibly exist in the 2006 study. It will include background review and evaluation of identified data gaps of the 2006 study, additional sampling and testing, and a risk assessment.

The Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaiʻi is a research center of excellence for basic Navy and national defense science, technology and engineering with a focus in naval missions and related areas. As a designated Navy-sponsored research laboratory administered by the University of Hawaiʻi System, ARL at UH may conduct research for the Navy, the Department of Defense and other government agencies.